SECULAR SUNDAY

Programming to escape the sporting spectacles offered to many as ‘bread and circus.’

Program Summary: 1 Feb. 2015

Unwelcome Guests #702 - "Have We Got Too Much Technology?"

Audio is drawn from the IFG conference as heard in episode #701.

Hear the following speakers:

John Michael Greer on technology's history of broken promises.

Gar Smith from the Earth Island Institute, who notes that humanity is busy creating robots even as our technology is devastating real life. His talk on "Robots, Nature and the Singularity" gives a history of robots as well as looking at recent developments sponsored by the US military.

Mary Reynolds-Thompson, author of Live Your Wild Soul Story. She argues that human technology has tamed us, and as we destroy life on earth, we destroy ourselves. She rejects the idea that human destruction of the earth stems from delusions of superiority or from original sin, but instead suggests that it is an expression of the pain of our loss.

David Ehrenfeld challenges the idea that "de-extinction" may be the solution to the earth's ecological problems.

Jeanette Armstrong who speaks on how the Okinawa way of relating to the natural world, which she summarizes as "being who we should be". The wisdom of indigenous knowledge emphasizes their acceptance of limits.

Lisi Krall challenges anthropocentrism by exploring the "economic evolution of dominion".

Stephanie Mills concludes our show with her talk on "Everyday Life in the Modern World". She recommends seeking a healthy relationship to the land, encouraging a mindful approach to life in the modern world, resisting the draws of modern technology.